True Worship Happens When…Sample

True worship happens when… II

#1. I Take Extreme Measures To Do It Right. 

2 Samuel 6:13: “After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.” 

I want you to give this some thought or better still, get up and take six steps. Now, visualize this, as the men walked – step one, two, three, four, five, six, David would stop them, then he would build an altar, sacrifice a bull and a fattened calf. Then they walk another six steps and again David would stop them, build an altar, kill a bull and a fattened calf and sacrifice it. Imagine that happened every six steps and picture the size of the total sacrifice - it was extravagant! In that journey to Jerusalem, David spent more time sacrificing than walking. 

Why is this important? When you engage in true worship, a lot of people might think you are crazy. Worship is like love; in fact you cannot worship God if you do not love God because worship [like love] is extravagant. When you love someone, you are extravagant; you do crazy things for people you love. If you say loving Jesus and showing Him affection must always be at your convenience, then you are not in love yet. Worship, like love, is extravagant, it just doesn't make sense. 

The show of love in Luke 7:36-39 was extravagant; it just didn’t make sense to those watching. It was excessive, some might even call it fanatical. But that is how love is; when love is in place, extravagance is in place. Money spent [or resources given] out of love is never wasted. It is an expression of your heart. David shows us clearly that true worship is extravagant [2 Samuel 24:24]. David says, "I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing". Interestingly, some Christians think that they won't need to make sacrifices in their walk with God. The sacrifices you make in worship may not even make sense to your spouse or those closest to you. Think about Abraham's wife Sarah; how do you think she might have reacted if Abraham told her about God's command to sacrifice Isaac? The Bible does not answer this, but personally I think the story might have looked very different.

It would be irresponsible to judge someone else's sacrifice to God, or to question your faith because of people's reaction/s to your sacrifices. God is the only one that knows your journey with him. If your worship doesn't cost you anything, your love for God won't grow. True worship happens when I take extreme measures to do things right.